America's spy program needs accountability

What's going on at the National Security Agency sounds more like spies gone wild than the product of good governance. Maybe President Barack Obama should check his own phone.

Former NSA contractor Edward Snowden's previous revelations about NSA surveillance of Americans raised questions about whether this agency was operating on a because-we-can basis without suitable adult supervision.

Those doubts are intensifying as the White House seeks plausible deniability about massive sweeps of information from dozens of world leaders.

You have to wonder if foreign leaders - our friends and allies - are really so surprised to learn the NSA was listening in. But now that it's public knowledge, they have an obligation to be outraged.

Soothing their anger may require the U.S. to make concessions in trade negotiations and perform other diplomatic somersaults.

The NSA has said Obama was not told about the spying by NSA head Gen. Keith Alexander. Several astute reporters pointed out this official denial did not specify whether somebody else might have told the commander in chief. What's more, Obama ordered a stop to spying on some leaders this summer after launching an internal review of the program, so he clearly knew then.

Yet some find the denial credible for the very chilling reason that America's Spies R Us program has so, so many eavesdropping programs that it's hard to keep track.

Someone besides the spies ought to be making the decisions about when surveillance serves a national security interest and when it merely amounts to gratuitously vacuuming up vast amounts of information.

The administration has an ongoing review of how intelligence is gathered and how to protect privacy and civil liberties. Recommendations will have to go beyond "trust us."

As Congress engages in this discussion, GOP lawmakers should focus on the issue rather than taking swings at this president.

The United States has vast and sophisticated surveillance capabilities which are immeasurably valuable in keeping the country safe. Good intelligence is crucial in a world where terrorists remain intent on doing us harm. High-tech snooping to assure national security is essential, but eavesdropping in order to gain a foreign policy or trade edge is a misuse of our capabilities.

The NSA needs strict supervision by those who understand that difference, as well as the importance of respecting the privacy of average Americans and the leaders of friendly nations.

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America's spy program needs accountability

What's going on at the National Security Agency sounds more like spies gone wild than the product of good governance. Maybe President Barack Obama should check his own phone.